Ulvac, Inc.

Junya Kiyota

Makoto Arai

Satoru Ishibashi

Takashi Komatsu

Masaki Takei

Motoshi Kobayashi

Yasuhiko Akamatsu

Kyuzo Nakamura

Masaru Wada

Kazutoshi Takahashi

Hajime Nakamura

Kazuya Saito

Atsushi Ota

Akihiro Yokoyama

Kentarou Takesue

Masasuke Matsudai

Yuu Kawagoe

Mitsuru Ueno

Tomiyuki Yukawa

Yuuichi Oishi

Tatsunori Isobe

Shigemitsu Sato

Koji Hidaka

Hiroki Oozora

Yuichi Oishi

Junichi Sakamoto

A thin-film transistor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a gate electrode; an active layer formed of an oxide containing indium, zinc, and titanium; a gate insulating film formed between the gate electrode and the active layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode that are electrically connected to the active layer. Atomic proportions of elements relative to the total quantity of indium, zinc, and titanium that constitute the oxide may be not less than 24 at. % and not more than 80 at. % for indium, not less than 16 at. % and not more than 70 at. % for zinc, and not less than 0.1 at. % and not more than 20 at. % for titanium.

Thin-film transistor, oxide semiconductor film, and sputtering target

A plurality of targets are disposed in parallel with, and at a given distance to, one another. In case a predetermined thin film is formed by sputtering, the occurrence of non-uniformity in the film thickness distribution and the film quality distribution can be restricted. During the time when electric power is charged to a plurality of targets (to) which are disposed inside a sputtering chamber () so as to lie opposite to the process substrate (S), and are disposed at a predetermined distance from, and in parallel with, one another, thereby forming a predetermined thin film by sputtering, each of the targets is reciprocated at a constant speed in parallel with the process substrate. Also, magnet assemblies that form tunnel-shaped magnetic flux (M) in front of each target are reciprocated at a constant speed in parallel with each of the targets. When each of the targets has reached a turning position of the reciprocating movement, the reciprocating movement of each of the targets is stopped for a predetermined period of time.

Method of forming thin film and apparatus for forming thin film

The present invention is to provide a magnetron sputtering technique for forming a film having an even film thickness distribution for a long period of time. A magnetron sputtering apparatus of the present invention includes a vacuum chamber, a cathode part provided in the vacuum chamber, the cathode part holding a target on the front side thereof and having a backing plate to hold a plurality of magnets on the backside thereof, and a direct-current power source that supplies direct-current power to the cathode part. A plurality of control electrodes, which independently controls potentials, is provided in a discharge space on the side of the target with respect to the backing plate.

Magnetron sputtering apparatus and magnetron sputtering method

In a magnetron sputtering apparatus an arrangement is made such that the peripheral portion of a target is uniformly eroded to attain a high efficiency in target utilization and, in addition, that an abnormal discharging hardly occurs to thereby enable satisfactory thin film forming. A magnet assembly is provided behind a target that is disposed opposite to the process substrate. This magnet assembly has a central magnet that is disposed linearly along the longitudinal direction, and a peripheral magnet that is disposed so as to enclose the periphery of the central magnet, while changing the polarity on the side of the target. At this time, among the respective magnetic fluxes generated between the central magnet and the peripheral magnet at the longitudinally end portions of the magnet assembly, the position at which the vertical component of the magnetic field becomes zero is locally shifted to the central magnet within a certain range.

Magnetron sputtering electrode, and sputtering apparatus provided with magnetron sputtering electrode

According to the invention, when targets are sputtered, each of them moves with respect to a substrate; and therefore, the entire area of the substrate is opposed to the targets during sputtering, so that a film of homogeneous quality can be formed on the surface of the substrate. During the sputtering, not only the targets but also magnetic field forming devices are moved relative to the targets, and therefore, a large area of the targets can be sputtered. In addition, when the magnetic field forming devices are also moved with respect to the substrate, the region of the target which is highly sputtered, moves with respect to the substrate, so that the thickness distribution of the film formed on the substrate can be even more uniform.

Sputter source, sputtering device, and sputtering method

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Junya Kiyota